


Acceptance: A Transgender Story

by GoldTitaniumArmour



Category: No Fandom, Original Work
Genre: Coming of Age, Cross-Posted on Wattpad, F/M, First Dates, First Kiss, High School, Homophobia, Kissing without consent, Marriage Proposal, Misgendering, No Sex, Original Character(s), Originally Posted Elsewhere, Slurs, Trans Character, Trans Female Character, Trans Male Character, Transphobia, bad plot twist
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-03
Updated: 2020-08-04
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:33:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 6,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25685851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoldTitaniumArmour/pseuds/GoldTitaniumArmour
Summary: Boy meets girl. Boy likes girl, girl likes boy. A simple love story. They wish...But... it's not quite that simple. You see, they both have secrets.Disclaimer: This story was written by a freshly-out 12-year-old on Wattpad, where it got unexpectedly popular. It's undergone significant renovations since then, but the general story is still pretty simplistic.Original upload date: June 1st, 2016
Relationships: Original Female Character/Original Male Character
Kudos: 8





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> ~ at the beginning and end of a sentence indicates Michael's thoughts.

Michael stood in front of the mirror, roughly tracing his hourglass shape with his hands. Ugh. He didn't have a bad body, exactly, it just shouldn't be his... He's a boy! It just felt so wrong...

Michael's a trans guy. He's a junior in high school, and this is how he met his girlfriend. But.... this is also how he learned to accept himself a bit more and find others like him. He hopes you enjoy his story.

☆☆☆

Michael yawned and sat up in bed, groggy. He glanced at the sunlight streaming into his room and, like every morning, groaned at the realization that it was morning. 

~Ok. Deep breaths Micheal, deep breaths. Calm down. The first day of your junior year...~

He peeked hesitantly at his alarm clock. Oh. No. 6:30! 20 minutes 20 minutes! He ran into the bathroom, avoiding looking into the mirror out of habit.

Michael pulled on his tight chest binder, giving his ribs a moment to adjust to the intense pressure, and put on his packer and harness, taking a few minutes to adjust everything. He idly wondered what it would be like to not have to do this someday. 

He put on my red and gray T-shirt and jeans and ran downstairs. His mom looked at him disapprovingly. She still didn't accept Michael being trans, but at least today she didn't say anything.


	2. The Bus

Michael despised school buses. The second he got on, his senses were immediately assaulted by shouting, the smell of food, and disinfectant. He hated that this was how he had to start his first day.

As he walked down the aisle, everyone stared for a few seconds at the new kid then looked back down at their phones, books, or whatever... except for one girl. A beautiful redhead, with big hazel eyes, a sharp jaw, and a pretty smile. 

~The uh, boobs don't hurt either~

Michael looked around, anxious. When he realized there were no other seats, she patted the seat next to her, so of course he sat down, lightly blushing. He pulled his collar away a bit. He was constantly worried about his chest showing, despite the binder. She raised an eyebrow and her eyes widened and then went back to smiling. 

"Hey." Michael said, attempting to be casual. "Cool if I sit next to you?"

She grinned.

"I don't know, CAN you?" The girl quipped in a pleasantly raspy voice.

"...Wow. That's so hilarious I don't even know what to say." He replied dryly.

She smirked. 

"Well, it broke the ice, right?"

The bus jerked forward without warning. Michael would have fallen on his face, had she not grabbed his wrist. Embarrassed, he settled down next to her.

She laughed.

"Smooth."

"Yeah yeah, very funny."

Well. He supposed he did look ridiculous. What a first impression he was making.

"Yeah, that too. No, I meant your skin is super smooth. I'm impressed."

~That's probably a compliment, right? I'm going to be so mad if I get clocked on the first damn day.~ Micheal thought, nervous.

"Uh, thanks, I think."

He decided he had to change the subject before this gets any more awkward.

"Hey, so I didn't catch your name. I'm Micheal."

"Scarlett."

"Nice." He replied. "It suits you."

Scarlett raised an exasperated eyebrow.

"Yeah, I get that a lot."

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Michael spoke again.

"So... do you go to Greenbrooke High? That's my new school."

"No, I go to Glen Forest. It's about 10 minutes away. I'm a sophomore. What about you?"

"Oh, I'm a junior."

The bus finally arrived at Michael's school. He stood up and waved back at Scarlett, hoping to see her again soon.

"It was nice talking to you. Bye!" He said over his shoulder.

"Wait!" She called out.

Michael turned around.

"Are you...um... actually, nevermind. See you!"

He panicked and ran.

~Did she know? Was she going to ask if I was trans? Did she care? Was it that obvious? Would she tell anyone? Does she hate me?~

Michael rolled his eyes at his own paranoia. Honestly, he wasn't on T, but he wasn't that feminine. Being transgender is hardly the first conclusion people jump to anyway.

The bell rang loudly, making Michael wince.

~Oh shit. That better not be the first bell... I'm so fucked.~ Micheal bolted inside.


	3. First Class

Michael stopped in front of what appeared to be the main office, panting slightly. The secretary was not pleased.

"Oh, again!? No running in the halls young man!"

He smiled a bit, happily surprised so early in the day. She squinted and stood up near him. 

~The hell is she doing?~ She looked at his face, startled.

"Oh, goodness! I'm so sorry young lady! I thought you were a boy for a moment there." She chuckled. 

~Damn. So close.~

"Mmhm. Not a problem. Really." Michael said, gritting his teeth.

~It's too early for arguments, it's too early for arguments, it's too early for arguments... Ugh. He needs to look into a legal name change, not that he has the money for that.~

"Good, good." She smiled, seeming relieved not to have caused offense.

"Well, you can head to the principal's office now. She's ready for you."

He arrived at the principal's office incredibly nervous.

She began to speak, looking down at her papers instead of at Micheal. "Alright Michaela. Here's your schedule and combination for your locker."

She handed them over and looked up. She sharply inhaled, looking at his rather masculine clothes. He tensed and spoke.

"Um... Actually, I prefer the name Michael and I'm a transgender boy... I believe one of my parents contacted the school recently, requesting that I be addressed as Michael and with male pronouns." 

~The principal, of all people, should know, right?~

She rolled her eyes, looking exasperated.

"Not according to your forms you're not. Go to class Michaela. If you want to make special requests of people, you're just going to ask them yourself. You have Mr. Ross in room 616, yes I know it's confusing, no we don't have six floors, it's on the third. Go away now, some of us are adults, with actual problems and work."

Under her breath, she whispered "Freak."

Michael sulked away, fuming. 

He finally got to Mr. Ross's class. Well, he hoped it was his class. He hesitantly walked in. Mr. Ross was going over names, as all the students idly gazed around the classroom, half asleep. All the kids looked at Michael, judging him, staring... Or maybe he was just being paranoid. Mr. Ross smiled at him.

"Hello. You must be Michaela, the transfer student." He said warmly.

Michael him the same thing he told the principal, but quieter, so that not the entire class would hear. He braced for Mr. Ross's reaction.

"Ah, alright." He turned to the class.

"Heh, my bad, looks like there was a mixup. This is Michael, the new transfer student. Michael, please take a seat.

He gestured to an empty chair in the second row.

Phew. Other than the principal, who he prayed he wouldn't have to deal with again, so far only the normal amount of horrible.

Michael sat down and looked around. There were about 15 girls and 12 boys, himself not included. Most of the girls were taking notes, but some were just passing notes. A few boys were sleeping, but most were doodling, except for the ones that were sleeping. Typical classroom, then.

Mr. Ross was droning on and on about formulas and glucose or... something.

~Weird for the first day, but alright.~

Michael stared at the clock and zoned out.


	4. An Opportunity

Michael mostly drifted from class to class, just trying to get used to the school. He didn't really interact with any other students, except for a short brown-haired boy who picked up his book when he dropped it.

~Pretty sure his name was Kyle. Or... Miles, maybe?~

Luckily, Michael didn't have to go to the bathroom at school, since he avoided all liquids at lunch and breakfast, as he'd been doing since he came out to avoid the boys/girls room debacle.

Michael decided to walk home to see how long it would take. 

~Twenty minutes, not bad.~

When he walked inside, he was surprised to see his other Mother sitting at the kitchen counter. The one that was home this morning must've gone to work. She asked him how his day was and, after a moment of deliberation, he decided to tell the truth. 

Michael left the principal incident for last. His mother was visibly brimming with anger. She took a deep breath and calmed down.

She then asked if he wanted her to call the school. Michael thought for a moment and decided to decline. Not being able to fight his own battles certainly wouldn't help his case.

She did, however, call anonymously asking about clubs offered at the school.

"I just wish you had some other LGBT kids to talk to, offline, that is." She said in explanation. 

Michal had to agree. He did feel a bit lonely, at this school and in general, though he made sure to communicate adamantly that the internet was, in fact, a good thing. She continued.

"I checked, and there is no GSA, and no PFLAG either. Honestly, is this the 70s? Anyway, your mom might not be happy about this, but I want to send you to an after school transgender youth support group. It meets at 5:00 on Tuesdays and Thursdays."

She fidgeted and looked at him, hopeful. Michael thought this could be a good idea, and said so. He just had one concern.

"Mother, would any of these kids be from my school, or generally from around here?

"I guess it's possible. They are from all over the state."

"Oh... okay. I guess I'll just hope that doesn't happen. Would I start tomorrow, or wait till Thursday?"

"You can start tomorrow sweetheart, unless you want to wait until I talk to mom."

Michael decided to go tomorrow, and deal with whatever his mom would say when it happens. Hopefully it would be worth the turmoil. 

He went up to his room.

~For the first day, there's an awful lot of homework. This could take a while.~

*****

Ugh. Finally done. Michael flopped down on his bed, and rested for a minute, then rolled over, and looked at his alarm clock in surprise for the second time that day. It was nearly 10!

He decided to read for a while. He had just started rereading Artemis Fowl, his favorite book as a kid. It was just as good as he remembered.

At about midnight, Michael's eyes started to get heavy. He stumbled into the bathroom and peeled off his binder, suddenly nauseous. He turned away from the mirror and didn't look down.

He shut off his light, grabbed his designated cuddle-pillow, and went to bed.

As Michael started to drift off, he heard voices, and he was confused. He sat up, bleary-eyed. It was his parents. They were talking unusually loudly. He listened. He didn't usually eavesdrop, but he heard "Michael" and then "Michaela" and surely if they're talking about him it's his right to know about it? He frowned.

"You are NOT sending our daughter to a transgendered group for confused teens!"

"I am not sending our son, I just suggested it and he agreed!"

"Because you're encouraging her! She'll grow out of this, but not if you convince her it's real."

Mother quieted down for a second and stopped yelling. She resumed in a normal tone that Michael had to strain to hear.

"Karie... I remember you telling me once, in tears, that your father told you something very similar about you being a lesbian. Why would you subject our child to the same treatment?"

Mom started sobbing.

"I just... I just want my daughter back, and in the process... I guess I could've been nicer to her. Er, him."

Michael smiled into his pillow, now damp with his own tears. Mother continued.

"I realize, and I'm sure that Michael realizes it too, that this will take some getting used to. But in the meantime, he should be getting some extra support. Don't you think?"

Mom sniffled.

"Yeah. I guess so. Sh...he can go."

"Oh good, because he was going either way."

Mom giggled, and suggested they go to bed. Micheal heard a weird, squishy sound. 

~Are they...? Oh god, no. Nope.~

Ignoring that, he went to bed happy and excited.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that issue was solved quickly. 
> 
> Yes, I know that the introduction of him having two moms is incredibly clunky. I'm... not really sure how to fix it. Basically, the one that disapproves (from the first scene) is Mom, and the accepting one (from this chapter) is Mother. 
> 
> Also i totally did the avoiding all liquids thing for years. 0/10, would not recommend.


	5. In which it all goes to shit

As Michael walked down the hall the next day, the late bell rang, surprising him. He panicked, realizing he was about to be late without a pass. He started running down the hallway, barely looking at where I was going. Suddenly, Michael crashed into something. He got up, dazed. Oh. It was a someone. In front of him stood a beautiful girl, and he stared for a second. 

"Oh god, I am so sorry! I should have been looking where I was going." Michael exclaimed quickly, staring into her rich brown eyes. She smiled. 

"It's fine, I should've been looking where I was going too."

Michael snapped out of his trance when he noticed his throbbing forehead. The girl seemed to notice as well and winced sympathetically. 

"That obvious, huh?" Michael asked.

"Oh yeah. You look like you're about to keel over, you must've hit your head. C'mon, I'll bring you to the nurse."

She gestured to her left, grabbed Michael's hand, and began walking down the hall. He followed at her side. As they were walking, she turned to him.

"I didn't catch your name." She said.

"I'm Michael."

"Cool. I'm Emily, but everyone calls me Emmie."

They stopped in front of a white door with a cheesy picture of a bluebird wearing a nurse's outfit. Emmie knocked.

"Come in!" Called a deep voice from inside.

They entered. There was a man in jeans and a nurse's scrubs. The room was quite small. It contained a desk, an old fashioned scale, some cots, and a few shelves.

He turned to Michael and Emmie and smiled.

"Hey Emily, are you here for your treatment?" The nurse asked.

Michael cocked my head, curious.

"No, not yet. This is my friend Micheal. He hit his head."

She turned to him again.

"I have bad allergies, so I get a shot here every day."

Michael nodded in understanding, wincing at his headache. The nurse got up and walked over to him.

"Hello Micheal, I'm Dr. Richardson, but you can just call me Dr. Rich if you'd like. Take a seat."

He gestured to the row of cots. He walked over and sat on the closest one.

About 15 minutes later, Michael walked out holding an ice pack wrapped in a brown paper towel to his forehead, wincing at the scratchy texture. He saw Emmie waiting outside the door.

"Oh, hey Emmie, what are you still doing here? Class started, like, 10 minutes ago."  
Michael asked after checking his watch.

"Well, I just wanted to make sure you aren't too badly injured or dead or something, hot stuff."

She grinned as he reeled back slightly in surprise. She started strutting towards him.

"I, uh.., gotta go! Umbyesee-you-tomorrow!"

Once Michael got home, he plopped down on my bed, head spinning. 

~Oh god... I think I like Emmie... she's so beautiful...~

Michael sighed. 

~But what about Scarlett? Wait a sec, I barely know either of them! But... was Emmie coming on to me??? Oh. I get it now. She's teasing me, playing me for a fool. Ugh.~

Michael laid back to stare at the ceiling, still wondering about all of this as his eyelids began to droop with sleep.


	6. True Colours

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: transphobic slurs and brief homophobia. Lack of consent before engaging in... hickey-giving?

The next day, Michael was still feeling very conflicted. As he got on the bus, the guilty feeling grew. 

~What do I have to feel guilty about??~

Scarlett and Michael did their usual smile and wave, but he sat across from her instead of next to her as he had been for around a week now. She looked hurt for a moment and turned to face him. 

"Hey, Michael, are you okay?"

"Uh... yeah, I'm fine, just tired I guess." He replied.

Scarlett frowned.

"Oh..ok."

She turned to face the window.

A few minutes later Michael got off the bus, resisting the sudden urge to turn back. Just after he walked in, Emmie ran up to him, grinning. 

"Hey Emmie." He said cautiously, wondering how she found him in the huge crowd of students. 

She kept smiling. She then winked, grabbed Michael's hand, and pulled him away.

They finally stopped in front of the janitor's closet.

"Uh, Emmie, what are we doing he- mphhh!" He gasped and pulled away.

~She kissed me! Ok, not teasing.~

She looked confused and pulled Michael back in. She started sucking on his neck and he moaned Involuntarily. 

~Oh yesssss... Let's see how far this goes...~

A couple of minutes later, she started trailing her fingers down his chest. 

~Shit. I better tell her before she finds out herself.~

"Emmie, stop."

She stepped back and pouted.

"Awww... but you're sooo hot."

She sniffed.

"You.. don't think I'm hot?" She asked.

"N-no, you definitely are, I just..."

Michael trailed off. He's gotta do this, just in case it goes any further.

"I gotta tell you something, but don't freak out, ok?" Michael said in a shaky voice. 

She frowned.

"You're not gay, are you?" She asked, spitting out the sentence like it burned her tongue. 

Unfortunately, Michael didn't pick up on that.

"Uh, no. I'm trans." He mumbled.

"You're WHAT?" She screeched.

He rubbed the back of my neck, suddenly feeling awkward.

"I'm... transgender..."

She screeched again and Michael winced. 

~Clearly, this was an awful idea...should have just said I didn't want to be late.~ 

She kept talking.

"You what then, you like... wanna be a girl?!"

Her upper lip curled in disgust. 

"Well. No, I was born a girl, I just, um, thought you should know."

"Oh my fucking-! I kissed a, a tranny! A fucking GIRL! I'm not a lesbian, I'm not I'm not I'm not. You f-fucking abomination!"

Michael backed away slowly, trying to find a way out of this increasingly bad situation. Luckily for him, no one was in the hallway. Emmie gripped her cross necklace.

"God hates you! If you tell anyone about this I will ruin your life!" She hissed angrily.

She stomped over to the girl's bathroom.

"And don't you DARE follow me, he-she!

Michael slumped to the floor in shock. After a while, the bell rang, taking him out of his trance. Michael jumped to his feet, and headed down to the dreaded principals office. He felt the burning need to leave, right them. When he got there, he asked the secretary for a pass for the nurse. She silently handed one over. Michael left without thanking her. He hunched his shoulders and headed to the nurse. It was a longer walk than he remembered.

Michael knocked on the door, hearing that same voice calling to come in. He looked directly at Dr. Rich.

"I feel Ill, and I threw up, can you call my mother?" He asked in a monotone voice.

"Yes, of course. Your eyes do look quite puffy."

He gestured to the sink.

"Get a drink of water."

He picked up the phone and he laid there until my mother came. In the car, she flashed me a sympathetic look.

"When we get home, I'll make you some matzo ball soup."

"Thanks, Mother."


	7. Group

The morning was same old, same old. Binder, food, wash face, leave. Michael was still in an awful mood, due to the events of the previous day. He insisted on going to school though. Once he got on the bus, he looked around until be spotted Scarlett. She was reading a book, so he didn't bother her, but still sat down next to her. She looked up and waved. 

~Back to normal. Good.~

Nothing important happened at school, since Michael didn't have to go through the principal's office, and didn't run into... her.

There were a few weird stares in gym when Michael's shorts hiked up a bit and didn't... erm, catch on anything. Most people didn't notice, thankfully. Finally, the last bell rang, and he got home soon after. Mother was home, and Mom was at work, which Michael was grateful for. He was delighted about his Mom's revelation of acceptance the night before, but that didn't mean that seeing her wouldn't be incredibly awkward.

"Hi Micheal, honey. Did you have a good day at school?"

He nodded. As good as one can have at school, he supposed. 

"Good, I'm glad. Go upstairs and do your homework, remember the group is in less than 2 hours."

He grabbed a granola bar and went upstairs.

Michael finished my homework a good 20 minutes before they had to leave. He tucked all his papers away into his folder. He got out his laptop and sat on his bed, scrolling through the discovery page on Instagram. He guessed more time passed than he thought because Mother was calling him from downstairs to go.

Michael jumped out of bed, suddenly nervous. He tugged on his shoes and ran downstairs, shouting that he was ready. He slowed down and walked to the car with mother.

A fairly short time later, they arrived. The building was made of red brick and was on the small side. It had a homey feel to it. Michael's mother walked him inside, told him to have fun and be himself, and left.

Michael took a deep breath, and took off to find room C4.

As it would turn out, it was actually just down the hall. He hesitantly walked in.

There were about twelve people, including one adult, who had brown hair and looked to be about thirty. He had a he/him pronoun sticker on his shirt. Micheal raised an eyebrow. 

~That's new.~

The other people all ranged in age from probably about 12 to 18. Michael didn't take a close look at any of them, but there was this one girl. Her head snapped up and the same time Michael quickly looked away. He saw just enough to think that she looked familiar, but not enough to figure out where from. He suddenly got anxious. 

~What if it's Emmie, and she was just projecting? Or...something.~

Michael saw a small table to the side, with stickers on it, but ignored them.

The adult started talking to him.

"Hello. Please take a sticker and sit down. We are about to begin."

So, he walked over to the table. There were three stacks of stickers. He/him, she/her, and they/them. Michael chose he/him and sat down next to the familiar girl with a she/her sticker. She still had her head down, hair completely covering her face. 

The man spoke.

"Hello everyone. My name is Evan. I am supposed to be the leader of this group, but I'm really not."

~Uh... what?~

"No, this is your group. I want you all to run it. Of course, I will give a bit of structure, but that's mostly it. First though, an introduction. Name, age, and pronouns, just in someone can't see your sticker."

Evan gestured to a kid on the far left.

"Uh... m-my name is Kera, I'm 15, and my pronouns are they."

Everyone continued like that until there was just me and that girl left.

"I'm Michael, I'm 17, and my pronouns are he."

Now it was just her.

She looked up. 

~Was that?...~

"I'm 16, my pronouns are she, and, um... my name is Scarlett."

Michael reeled back in surprise. She glanced at me, gauging my reaction. 

~Scarlett... Scarlett was... trans?~ 

He mentally facepalmed. 

~The deeper voice, the Adam's apple protrusion, the sharp jawline... her almost asking if I was trans... DUH. Plus, at least it's not Emmie.~

Michael smiled a little. 

~She just keeps getting more and more interesting... and hot. Wait, what?~

The group went on. He didn't participate much, too busy thinking. 

They all talked about families, navigating bathrooms and locker rooms, GSAs, trans people in the media, and more. Michael was amazed at the experience. but he couldn't get his mind off Scarlett. 

~What was wrong with me?~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know. The plot twist was less than subtle.


	8. Bus Ride

After questioning from his moms, (yes, yes, it was good, he actually talked, made friends, yep) Michael felt mentally drained. 

He soon went to bed, exhaused, despite the early hour. He dreamed about Scarlett. And Scarlett's face and lips and the way her neck gracefully curves and-

The next morning, Michael got to the bus stop as soon as possible. He lept onto the bus as it pulled up, then rolled his eyes at himself. 

~Get a grip!~

As always, he scanned the bus for Scarlett. She was at the back, reading as usual.. Her eyes rapidly flicked up at Michael then back down, nervously skimming her book. The seat beside her was empty.

Michael walked down the aisle and sat next to her, tossing his bag on the floor of the bus. He playfully nudged her with his shoulder. 

"Hi."

"Hi."

"How are you?" He asked.

"Ohmygosh Michael I'm sorry I figured out you were trans first but I wasn't sure then you basically confirmed it and I freaked out sorta and you didn't know if I was and I kinda like you and"

She paused for air and winced at her anxious rambling.

"I um... didn't mean to say that out loud. Shit."

Michael impulsively asked a question.

"Scarlett, would you like to go with me to a movie on Saturday?"

"Y-yes! Wait... this isn't some kind of fucked up joke right?"

Michael startled, shocked. 

"Wh- no, of course not!"

Scarlett slipped her hand into Michaels. 

"Okay." She uttered, calm again.

Yet again, Michael drifted through the school day, just thinking. He listened to cheesy love songs and everything.


	9. Date Night

That weekend Michael met Scarlett just outside the movie theater to see the latest horror movie, feeling pretty confident. He was wearing his favorite binder under a nice sweater, his least ripped pair of jeans, and new red and black sneakers.

He thought Scarlett looked breathtakingly beautiful. She had on a blue skirt, a plain black shirt with ruffles at the collar, flats, and a simple bracelet with a Magen David charm on it that she was nervously fiddling with.

"Y-you look good." Michael eventually stammered.

Scarlett blushed.

"You look good too." 

He grinned shyly and held up two tickets. 

"Ready to go?" She nodded. 

They walked in and took a seat in the top row in the nearly empty theater. After some boring previews, the movie started. Scarlett's attention was completely on the movie. Michael was paying attention, with the occasional glance at her. Their hands were touching on the armrest between them.

By the second onscreen kiss, Michael could feel her gaze on him. He turned to face her, and their eyes met. They leaned forward at the same time, romantically, eyes closed, the movie just white noise. 

Their noses hit each other and they both pulled back, blushing and giggling. 

"You tilt your head the other way?" Michael suggested to Scarlett. 

She sheepishly agreed and then they were leaning in again. Their lips brushed, then pressed together. After a few seconds, they pulled away to breathe and gazed into each other's eyes for a moment. Michael was briefly reminded of Emmie, but quickly banished that thought.

"I-I'm sorry I..." Scarlett trailed off nervously.

"Don't be."

"...Alright."

They smiled simultaneously and faced the screen again. Michael relived the past few minutes over and over again, savoring it.

Soon enough, the movie was over and they had both been paying just enough attention to be disappointed in the clearly badly planned twist ending.

Michael asked to walk Scarlett home and she happily agreed. They walked hand in hand until they reached her house. She turned to face him. 

"I had a good night tonight," Scarlett whispered to Michael, who agreed. She continued at a regular volume. 

"So... my birthday is tomorrow. Can you come over? Maybe around 4:00?"

"Yea, of course, that should work."

Scarlett wistfully watched Michael walk away. 

~My first kiss... damn. I think I might really like her.~

And then Michael got an Idea. 

~For her birthday tomorrow, What if i...~


	10. Birthday Bash

The next morning, as Michael came down for breakfast, Mom started talking. 

~That's unusual... She's usually dead to the world until she has like, two cups of coffee in her system.~

"Sit down honey."

He did.

"I want to apologize. I was acting like a bit of a jerk. It might not be just a phase, I see that now. The name and pronoun change is still something I'm working on, and it may take a while."

Michael awkwardly smiled.

"Apology accepted."

~Yeah, this day is awesome.~ He thought as he walked out the door.

Michael walked to Scarlett's house, only about 5 minutes away. He pulled the rose-coloured envelope out of his back pocket. Taking a deep, steadying breath, he knocked on her front door. 

"Coming!" said a very deep voice. 

~Oh man, her dad maybe? I hope this isn't awkward...~

The door abruptly swung open. There was a burly and intimidating man in the doorway, towering at least a foot above Michael's short frame.

"A-are you Scarlett's father?" Michael asked meekly, after taking a moment to find his voice. 

The man visibly ground his teeth. 

"No. I'm Samuel's father."

~Oh. That must be Scarlett's birth name. Don't like that...~

"Yes, of course, that's um, what I meant to say. Anyway, I'm Scar... er, Samuel's friend, from... school."

Michael held up the envelope. "I'm here to give h-him a birthday gift." He smiled weakly. 

Scarlett's father eyed him suspiciously.

"And you're not his.. boyfriend?" he asked venomously. 

"N-no, just a. just a friend." Michael swallowed hard. 

~Hopefully not for very much longer...~

He grunted out a "Fine." and stepped back to allow Michael down. 

"SAMUEL! You've got a friend here to see you! Get your ass down here!" He bellowed in the direction of the stairway. 

Scarlett ran down the stairs, still putting her hair up in a bun, a scowl etched on her usually warm face. She turned to see who her guest was, and she brightened as her dad's face darkened at the sight of her clothes and makeup.

"Hey Michael! I'm glad you could come."

"I'm glad too."

They smiled at each other and she shooed her dad away. As his footsteps got further away, Scarlett motioned for Michael to follow her. They entered her living room, and sat side by side on a large tan couch.

"So... your dad is... um... interesting," Michael said hesitantly, trying to ease the tension he could practically see radiating off of Scarlett.

"I guess that's one word for him. He is so frustrating, using my birth name in front of other people! I've been out for almost 3 years now. I'm 16 now! You would think he would respect me a bit more by now but nooooo."

Michael fidgeted as she paused for air.

"Oh. I'm sorry, this is supposed to be fun. It's my sweet sixteen!"

~Ok, its time. Deep breaths.~

Michael handed her the envelope. She smiled and opened it gracefully with a shiny black nail. She smiled at the sight of the corny cartoon sun on the cover of the card. It read "Happy 16th! I hope your day is even brighter than me!"

"Awww!" She exclaimed. "That's adorable, thank you so much!"

Michael urged her to open it, so she did.

She read the note out loud.

"Ask Michael what he wants to ask you." She looked at him bewildered. 

"Scarlett..." Michael began. He shook my head and laughed anxiously. "Scarlett, I know we've only known each other for a couple of weeks, but will you do me the honor of being my girlfriend?"

She didn't squeal with joy as Michael had hoped she would. In fact, she was frowning. 

~Shit. Why did I do this again?? Why did I think this was a good idea?~

"I-I'm sorry, I just... I, um... I'm gonna go now."

Michael got up, but she gestured for him to sit down. He looked at her, confusion and apprehension visible in his eyes. 

~Did she not hate me?~

She stared Michael straight in the eyes until he started to squirm. And then... she burst out laughing.

"Oh, the look on your face!" She wheezed, still giggling.

Michael frowned. Did that mean?...

"Yes, of course I'll be your girlfriend!"

He grinned. Success! She twisted around even more to completely face him. She leaned in and kissed him as he lightly placed a hand on her waist. 

~Amazing.~


	11. The years pass by

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a 2 year time skip here, making Michael 19 and Scarlett 18.

Michael knocked on the door of Scarlett's apartment. Her dad answered the door. 

~Aww, that's nice. He must be visiting.~

"Hey Mike." He greeted me warmly. "You must be here to see Scarlett. Come in." 

Michael's eye twitched at the forbidden nickname, but he let it go. 

He hopped over the welcome mat and looked around. She redecorated! Michael was secretly very relieved that her favorite colors had changed from pink, to blue and green, and the new decor reflected that.

"Dad! Is that Michael?" She called from the bathroom.

"Yeah, hey Scar!" I called out.

"Oh, hi! I'll be out in a minute."

True to her word, she exited a minute later. She looked absolutely beautiful in her formfitting forest green dress. 

They hugged each other tightly, giving each other a peck on the lips. Scarlett rubbed Michael's chin.

"oooo, you have stubble!"

"Indeed I do. Do you like it?" He asked.

"Oh yes, very masculine. I'm a fan." She winked at him. 

Michael led her to the couch, reminded of when he asked her to be his girlfriend. He tapped his bulging side pocket with a finger, reassuring himself that it was still there. 

Michael got down on one knee as Scarletts dad gasped quietly and pulled at his phone, aiming it at the young couple. He pulled out the small velvet-lined box. Scarlett clapped her hands over her mouth, eyes wide.

"Scarlett, we've been together for nearly two and a half years. I can't believe it, the time has gone so fast. I know we're still really young, but what we have here is real." He flashed her a nervous grin. 

Scarlett nodded, tears streaming down her face.

Michael opened the box, revealing a small diamond ring.

"Scarlett Maura Jacobs... will you make me the happiest man alive... and marry me?"

Still crying, she nodded again.

"Yeah, okay. Yes, I'll marry you."

Michael let out the breath he didn't know he had been holding.

"I love you so, so much."

"I love you too." Michael choked out, pulling Scarlett into a tight hug.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...Wow, I really thought 19 was an appropriate age to get married huh


	12. Author's timeline

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is HIGH-KEY cringe. On the original Wattpad story, I decided to add little personal notes about my life and story updates in the form of one last chapter. So... this is that. It's fairly awful, but it's exactly what 13-ish year old me ended up writing and I wanted to keep it for... posterity, I suppose.

Please read the beginning chapter notes!!

3-31-18: Woooo I started T!

10-1-18: Wow! This book just hit 5k reads, which is pretty amazing. Thank you all so much for the comments and votes, it means a lot!

Update: the new chapter 4 and 5 are now up! Enjoy.

Update: wow!!! This book just hit the top 1000 teen fiction books at about 9k reads. #996 to be exact. I honestly never expected this book to blow up like that. Tysm!

Check out my new stories! There's The Cube, or if you prefer something shorter, The Fatal Dream! (Pretty please?)

10-10-18: hey, all. I know I pretty much abandoned this book for about 8 months, life has just been pretty crazy. Anyway, I'll be back to answering/replying to comments now, as well as editing.

In personal news, because I'm still super happy about this, I'm a bit more than 7 months on testosterone now, and I might be getting top surgery this summer. :)

10-24-18: Like fanfiction for Marvel or Death Note? Check out my newly uploaded fics!

4-11-19: personal update: I got my top surgery date!!

7-22-19: WOOOOO I HAD SURGERY TODAY

12-15-19: Going off of T for medical reasons :(

3-1-20: going back and making the feelings part and the kissing parts a bit more Accurate To Me... Because I'm actually dating now!!!!

3-4-20: 50K READS AHHHH!!! I don't really get why this is popular 4 years later but thank you!!!

8-3-20: So obviously this underwent a rewrite as I transferred it to Ao3. It's now all in 3rd person instead of 1st person. The romantic aspects and the scenes set in high school are made somewhat more realistic. The dialogue sounds more like actual people, and descriptions are improved. A few lines are removed or added. The basic storyline and plot of each chapter is pretty much the same.


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